Author's Note: Hello, readers! This story was previously posted, but I'm reposting it after making a few revisions before continuing. Here's the continuation of the story! Updates will be posted daily from Monday to Friday, except on weekends. Thank you for your patience, and happy reading!

Chapter 10: Crush

Apparently, Chloe had noticed that I liked Julian because she told me that she often caught me looking in his direction intently.

"Iba na kasi ang tingin na binibigay mo sa kaniya! Napansin ko lang," she said with a grin.

I just sighed at that moment. I couldn't deny my feelings for him to my best friend anymore. I could never really hide anything from Chloe.

Then, I remembered everything from the very beginning—how I started as his fan and how that admiration slowly turned into a crush...

We were young. And although he would often go abroad for his training as an athlete—and even studied in another country—not once did he ever leave my thoughts.

I had never felt for anyone else the way I felt about Julian Ellis Trinidad.

Ni hindi ako nagkakagusto sa ibang mga naging kaklase ko o nakikilala. And I can say that I grew up liking him.

Was it because I found him handsome? He's definitely good-looking. But that wasn't the reason. I liked him because he was everything that I wasn't.

Maybe it's true what they say about opposites attracting—that when we see in others what we lack in ourselves, we're naturally drawn to them. And maybe, deep down, it's because we aspire to be like them.

So admiration can start that way—simple at first—until it grows deeper and deeper...

And then, when he suddenly talked to me for the first time, I could hardly believe it. Halos hindi pa ako makapaniwala noon. I was so used to him not even sparing me a glance. So when he finally did, I thought—just maybe—we had formed even the smallest connection. After all, he shared a secret with me.

And it wasn't just any ordinary secret.

It was the secret ability of his ancestors—the ability to teleport.

At first, I couldn't believe it. Sure, we've all heard stories about teleportation. But I never thought it could be real. Kasi sa movies lang naman natin nakikita iyon. It's something straight out of a sci-fi movie or a fantasy book.

That's why I found it hard to believe.

But in the end, I still chose to trust him.

I think I would even blindly follow and believe the soccer prodigy Julian Trinidad, no matter what he told me.

So that day, I listened to him. Pinakinggan ko siya nang mabuti. After all, I may not be much of a talker, but at least I'm a good listener. And I listen a lot.

I listened as he told me the story—the secret he had discovered in his family's old ancestral house in the province. And I could see it in his eyes, how serious he was as he spoke.

That's why I believed him.

And I know—I just know—that someone like Julian wouldn't lie or play a prank on me about something like that.

After all, it was a serious matter. His family and ancestors were involved.

Halos nakatulala pa rin ako habang marahang sinusuklay ang buhok ko sa harap ng dresser. My mind was occupied, endlessly replaying my conversation with Julian from earlier. I couldn't stop thinking about it—about him.

Kaya naman halos mapaigtad pa ako nang biglang marinig ang phone ko na nagri-ring. It was my best friend, Chloe, calling. Parang inasahan ko na rin na tatawagan niya ako ngayon—lalo na matapos ang nakita niyang nangyari kanina sa pagitan namin ni Julian. I knew she didn't expect that either.

I picked up my phone and answered. "Hello, Chloe—"

Naputol agad ang pagbati ko nang pagsagot ko pa lang ay sinalubong na ako ng malakas niyang pagtili mula sa kabilang linya. Napangiti na lang ako. Alam kong hindi niya palalampasin ang nakita niya kanina, and I was sure she was calling just to tease me about it.

"Ano 'yon, ha?! Ano 'yon?! Nakita ko iyon!" sigaw niya ulit, her excitement practically vibrating through the phone.

Napailing ako habang hindi mapigilang mapangiti. Wala talagang kawala sa kaniya.

"Calm down, Chloe. Hindi ko rin inasahan iyong nangyari na lang bigla kanina," I admitted. Totoo naman. Bigla na lang talaga akong kinausap ni Julian. It was so unexpected that I was still trying to process it myself.

"Talaga ba?! Baka naman huli na pala ako sa balita at matagal na kayong nag-uusap ng crush mo! Baka magtampo na ako niyan!"

Napailing ako ulit. "Hindi, Chloe. Hindi talaga. Iyong nangyari kanina, it was really the first time that Julian had ever talked to me. Alam mo namang hindi iyon basta kumakausap ng kung sino-sino..." I sighed.

"Pero hindi ka na lang basta kung sino ngayon, ha! Dahil kinausap ka na niya! Sa wakas, Noelle Sarina Velasco! Kinausap ka na rin ng crush mo. Paano mo ginawa 'yon, ha?" She sounded so teasing, as if I had pulled off some kind of miracle.

Napangiti ako, naiiling sa reaction niya. If only she knew how stunned I was when it actually happened.

But both our excitement completely died the next day.

Sinubukan kong batiin si Julian nang magkita kami sa cafeteria ng school kinabukasan. Pero napahiya lang ako—dahil hindi niya ako kinausap pabalik. Hindi man lang ako pinansin. Instead, he just looked at me, his expression unreadable, as if I was acting strangely for even acknowledging him.

Napatingin ako sa paligid namin sa loob ng canteen nang marinig ko ang mga mahihinang bulung-bulungan ng ibang estudyante. Hindi ko na lang pinansin, pero naramdaman ko na lang na biglang hinila ako ni Chloe at tinago sa likuran niya.

"Ano ba sa tingin mo ang ginagawa mo, ha, Julian? Binabati ka lang naman ng kaibigan ko. Kinausap mo na siya noong isang araw lang! Tapos ngayon umaasta ka na parang hindi mo na siya kilala?"

"Tama na, Chloe," pinigilan ko siya agad, my voice barely above a whisper.

"What are you two up to? I don't know what you're talking about," Julian just said, his tone cold and detached.

Napatingin ako sa kaniya muli, searching his face for any sign of familiarity—any trace of the Julian I had spoken to before. But there was nothing. And in the end, I just backed away.

Marami nang nakatingin sa amin, mga schoolmates na kumakain sa cafeteria, their curious stares making my face burn with embarrassment. Ayoko nang palakihin pa ito. So instead, ako na mismo ang humila kay Chloe palayo, forcing us to leave before things got worse.

That night, I cried myself to sleep.

Nahihiya na ako sa mga nakakitang schoolmates namin. After what they saw, rumors quickly spread. Some of my classmates even started saying that I was just assuming too much. Na siguro napansin lang ako ni Julian saglit pero nag-expect na raw ako na magkaibigan na kami pagkatapos lang noon...

But I didn't.

I just... I was just...

I buried my face into my pillow, tears silently falling.

And yet, as I drifted off to sleep, my mind clung to my last conversation with Julian. Naalala ko bigla sa panaginip ko ang huli naming pag-uusap. I remembered what he told me—that he only time-traveled.

So when I woke up the next morning, my mind felt clearer. Mas naging malinaw na sa akin.

What if... the Julian I had spoken to had already gone back to the future?

There couldn't be two Julians in our world at the same time... could there?

I didn't know how to fully explain it yet.

But I did believe in Julian. I believed in him.